printToday, Senate Democrats “effectively overturned more than 200 years of Senate precedent, not only on the judicial filibuster, as the Washington Post notes, but by moving to change the chamber’s rules without the traditional two-thirds majority in support, something previously done only to alter relatively minor rules.” (Reason.com.)
Say bye-bye to the legislation-stalling filibuster.
The filibuster is a powerful parliamentary device in the United States Senate, which in recent years has meant that most major legislation (apart from budgets and confirmations) requires a 60% majority to head off a filibuster. In recent years the majority has preferred to avoid filibusters by moving to other business when a filibuster is threatened …
Harry Reid and Barack Obama once shouted from the rooftops in support of these venerated Senate rules that have enabled “a minority to thwart the agenda and will of the party in power. …”
President Pinocchio lied. Again. But who’s counting?!
Reminds Reason.com: “The ability of a minority to thwart the agenda and will of the party in power is a feature, not a bug, of the constitutional order, but ‘majority rules’ is, unsurprisingly, popular with the majority.”